April 10, 2006

Passion among the 'bio-crats'

"It's almost a spiritual thing," said Colorado Division of Wildlife director Bruce McCloskey, describing the process of releasing the predators into the blue-green spruce forests of the Colorado wilderness.

It was interesting to hear McCloskey use such a potentially loaded word in the context of a scientific project; a word more often used by passionate environmental advocates than by government bio-crats. It suggests that there's some emotional investment on the part of the state's scientists, which shouldn't be surprising, but is rarely acknowledged in public and on the record by "government officials."

And if you want to actually see a lynx, getting close to the people in the release program is about the only way to do it, at this time.